On 2020-01-03 3:30 AM, JF Mezei wrote:
On 2020-01-02 11:30, Alain Fournier wrote:

We've been using
capsules since the 1960's.

The Boeing one can land on land, so this is different.


The original plan for Dragon V2 called for propulsive landing using the
same Super Dracos used for the launch escape system that proved
problematical last year. It was to have been a powered descent from
orbit to a hard surface landing pad such as LZ-1 or LZ-2 at the Cape
using landing legs that protruded out of the head shield. But NASA nixed
the idea in favor of parachutes. Boeing must have sensed the political
winds at NASA better since their design incorporated parachutes from the
get go with the additional twist of air balloons for a hard surface
landing. It wasn't a major design hit for SpaceX because they also had
parachutes in the original design for Dragon V2 but only as a backup in
case the propulsive engines failed. I guess they just weren't expecting
as spectacular a failure as was seen in last year's test.

I suspect the other issue for NASA was the potential of compromise to
the heat shield due to the landing legs. Thus in a remarkable flip of
fate, the first land landings will go to Boeing even though SpaceX tried
to innovate it in first, just in steps that proved to be too big (risky)
for NASA.

Dragon V2 will be fished out of the ocean like Dragon is today.

Dave